Beetroot & Horseradish Salad

3 large homecooked beetroot , coarsely grated
3 tbsp horseradish
2 tsp golden caster sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingrediants together & chill!!

Hummus

500g chickpeas, cooked or canned drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch plus 1/2 teaspoon to garnish chilli powder or cayenne

Directions

Process all ingredients except for the garnish in a food processor or blender until smooth, about 40 seconds. You may need to stop and occasionally scrape down the sides of the vessel.
Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
To serve, remove from fridge, garnish and serve with toasted pitta or homemade wholemeal gissini

Greek-style Chickpea and mint Salad

For salad:
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
½ red onion, diced small
½ large cucumber (or 1 small), diced small
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced
1/3 cup mint leaves, minced

For dressing:
Juice of one lemon (about 4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk garlic, lemon, mustard and olive oil together, or shake it all together in a jar. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
3. Toss the chickpea with the dressing until well-combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Eat right away if you’re starving, or wait 1/2 hour or so to allow the flavors to marry. Just as tasty the next day.

Rice pudding with marmalade and whisky

150g short grain rice
750ml milk
3 tbsp whisky
1 tbsp orange zest (done with zester or grated in long strips)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp marmalade, plus extra to serve

Combine the rice, milk, whisky, orange zest and vanilla extract in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly to prevent the rice sticking.

Reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is plump and tender, and thick and soupy.

Add the honey and marmalade, stirring well.

Spoon into four medium bowls or 6 small ones, top with a little extra marmalade

Multigrain bread to try!!!

2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
-- (105 to 115 degrees)
2 cups "00" bread flour
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons margarine -- softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup uncooked mixed grain cereal -- (dry)

Mango chutney

4 mangos, peeled and cut to small pieces
1 Cup white vinegar
2 Cups sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tsp salt
Juice of 2 lemons

Heat the vinegar in a large pan but do not boil. Add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes stirring until all dissolved. Puree the rest of the ingredients except the mango and then add everything into the pot and simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes. Leave to cool then store in sterilized jars.

Poppadoms

Mix a cup of flour with a little salt to taste and just enough water to make a stiff paste.
Knead gently till it is worked into a stiff dough (1-2 minutes).
Take a little at a time and roll out as thin as you can go.
Deep fry in hot oil in small batches until they are golden brown.
They take longer to cook than dried shop bought poppadoms.
Drain on kitchen roll and serve !

Vanilla Fudge

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter
2 cups castersugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3 tablespoons water
1 small tin of condensed milk
a few drops of vanilla extract
(see measure conversions for more information)


Method

- Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup with the water in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Stir, making sure that the sugar has dissolved completely.
- To this add the condensed milk and bring to the boil.
- Boil, stirring continuously for about 10 minutes or until the mixture turns golden brown.
- Test by dropping a small amount into a saucer of cold water.
- The mixture should form a soft ball.
- Remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon until thick.
- Pour into a greased tin.
- When almost set mark the fudge into squares with a knife.
- Remove from the tin when the fudge is cold.

Cranberry Rock Cakes

50g unsalted butter
100g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
50g light muscovado sugar
85g dried cranberries
1 small apple , halved, cored and finely diced
1 egg , beaten
1 tbsp milk
icing sugar , to serve


Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and lightly oil a non-stick baking sheet. Rub together the butter and flour with your fingertips to fine breadcrumbs (or pulse in a food processor). Stir in the rest of the ingredients until you have a soft dough.
Drop 8 tbsp or 16 heaped tsp of the dough on to the baking sheet, spacing out well. Bake for 18-20 mins until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and dust with plenty of icing sugar. Pack into an airtight container or gift jars

Coconut Ice

50g sweetened condensed milk
250g icing sugar , sifted, plus extra for dusting
200g dessicated coconut
pink edible food colouring , optional


Using a wooden spoon, mix together the condensed milk and icing sugar in a large bowl. It will get very stiff. Work the coconut into the mix until it's well combined - use your hands, if you like.
Split the mix into two and knead a very small amount of food colouring into one half. Dust a board with icing sugar, then shape each half into a smooth rectangle and place one on top of the other. Roll with a rolling pin, re-shaping with your hands every couple of rolls, until you have a rectangle of two-tone coconut ice about 3cm thick.
Transfer to a plate or board and leave uncovered for at least 3 hrs or ideally overnight to set. Cut into squares with a sharp knife and pack into bags or boxes. These will keep for up to a month at least, if stored in an airtight container.

Harissa Paste

Harissa Paste is used in middle-eastern and african recipes. It is easy to prepare, and once made, it can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 months.

To make 100g of Harissa Paste

100g dried hot chilies
8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp. Cumin powder
1 tbsp. Coriander powder
1 tsp. salt
Method
Place the chilies in a bowl, bring some water to the boil and pour over the chilies Leave them to soak for 30-45 minutes. Then remove the chilies from the water and discard their stems. Reserve the water they were soaked in.
Place all the ingredients if a food processor or blender and puree adding as much of the chili water needed until you have a smooth paste or grind them together in a mortar and pestle.
Store in a well sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, once upon use it in 1 week

Coconut Milk

1 large coconut
Pick a large coconut that sounds like it has a lot of water inside.
Peirce the eye of the nut and pour the water to the bowl.
You will need this coconut water later.
Break open the shell, and cut out the coconut meat. Place the meat to the juicer and run the meat through the juicer
Place the content to the large bowl and add 4 pints of water (you can add more or less water depending what consistency of milk you want).
Mix it up well and run it through the juicer again.
Maybe frozen

Nanny's Chocolate Muffins

6oz Plain Flour
1oz cocoa
4oz Sugar
1 beaten egg
2tsp Baking Powder
5fl oz milk
4fl oz vegetable oil
chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together roughly and bake 20 mins @ 200c

Kataifi Cheese Pie

400 gr kataifi dough (shredded dough)
600 gr cheddar cheese, grated
5 eggs
250 gr butter
600 gr milk

METHOD
Butter a heat proof pan. Place half of the kataifi dough on the pan. Spread the cheese on top. Cover with the rest of the kataifi dough. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Spread the melted butter on top of the pie. Beat the eggs and mix them with the milk. Spread the mixture on top of the pie. Bake for 30 minutes in oven 175c
yumm

Tiger Prawns in shredded dough with tarragon mayonnaise

Shredded dough - Kataifi dough, is a typical Greek and Turkish ingredient - in Turkey they call it kadayıf - made, just like filo dough, with flour and water.
Kataifi is made of long, very thin strands of dough, a bit like angel hair pasta. It's very often used for sweets, in combination with honey and pistachios.

Serves 4

16 small Black Tiger prawns or any other type of shrimp
1 package kataifi dough, frozen
salt
black pepper
olive oil

For the mayonnaise:

Mayonnaise
salt
pepper
2 small garlic cloves
a few tarragon leaves


Pound the garlic and the tarragon leaves to a creamy mixture in a small mortar. Add to the mayonnaise stirring gently.

Clean the prawns: carefully remove heads, shell and legs but leave the tails. Devein the prawn and rinse under the tap. Pat dry with kitchen paper and season with a bit of pepper.

Defrost the kataifi dough and loosen the strings.
Wrap some kataifi around each shrimp.

Shallow-fry the prawns in a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil until golden brown and crunchy and serve immediately while still hot with the garlic mayonnaise.

Tangy Plaice

Ingredients
30 g butter
4 tablespoons plain flour
300 ml milk
3 tablespoons salad cream
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
4 medium plaice fillets (fresh or defrosted)
75 g breadcrumbs
50 g bacon (chopped)
100 g cheddar cheese (grated)
1 small onion (chopped)
50 g mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
To garnish
mushroom slices
Directions
1Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually blend in the milk and heat, stirring until the sauce thickens.
2Stir in the salad cream, lemon juice and seasoning. Place the fish in a shallow oven-proof dish (so that bottom of dish is covered).
3Pour over the sauce, sprinkle evenly with the mushrooms. Combine the breadcrumbs, bacon, cheese and onion and sprinkle on top of the mushrooms and sauce.
4Cook in a preheated oven (190°C/375°F) for 20 minutes, then place under a preheated grill for 2 minutes to brown the topping.
5Garnish with tomato slices & mushrooms.

Serve with Pea Mash & Roast Radish

Baked Radish

1/2 lb radishes, cut in half
1 tbl Honey
1 tbl butter
1 dsh cinnamon

Method :
Steam radishes for 5 minutes; drain and arrange in a shallow baking dish.
Combine honey, butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan to make a glaze. Pour over radishes and bake uncovered at 350 until tender, about 30 minutes.

Radish & Mango Salsa

1 lrg ripe mango
2 x to 3 ripe apricots
1 bn (about 12) large red or white radishes, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small red chilies, seeds removed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
Salt
2 x to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Peel & chop Mango into 1/2 inch pieces.
Put chopped mango and any juices into large bowl.
Halve apricots, remove stone and chop into 1/4 inch pieces.
Add to mango with radishes, lemon juice, chilies, olive oil, salt and mint.
Stir well to blend.
Cover and refrigerate about two hours.

Serve with Cheese, cold meat or fish..

Kohl Rabi crumble

Last Monday saw the start of lent in Cyprus. Green (clean) Monday followed a weekend or festivities and carnivals. Green monday is the day fasting starts, a day when Cypriots picnic and fly kites..
See us flying kites on the family blog
When ever there is a holiday in Cyprus the supermarkets have associated bargains, thus fruit and vegetables were all half price. So I stocked the vegetable box and now have the challange or using them before they go off. So today it is the turn of the Kohl Rabi......

Kohl rabi is in all the vegetable markets at the moment and we even have one making a guest appearance in the veg plot. Fortuantly the chichens only like the leaves so hopefully in a week or two it will be big enough to eat. Kohl Rabi is one of those vegetables that makes a regular appearance in veg boxes, but sits, unused, in the corner of the fridge until it slowly goes off.

The Kohl rabi comes complete with its alien tentaclesand is usually green, but can be purple.





It is thought to have been deliberately developed in Northern Europe during the 16th Century.

Historically, it was often grown as cattle fodder, which seems a waste, given its nutritional content.

It's a good source of Vitamin C, as well as magnesium and phosphorous, which are useful in the absorption of calcium.

Its mild flavour and ability to absorb the flavour of other ingredients in a meal make it an ideal vegetable for bulking up recipes and sneaking in extra veggies.

The name "kohl rabi" comes from German and literally means "cabbage turnip".



Kohlrabi is classed a root vegetable although it grow just on top of the soil it is easy to cook. First cut off the "antenna" and peel the kohl rabi.

Chop it into chunks or sticks and boil for up to 10 minutes, until it's just soft.

Or add it to stews, soups,stir frys or casseroles, where it does a brilliant job of bulking things up, whilst absorbing the flavours.

Kohl Rabi Crumble
Serves 4

300g carrots chopped into chunks
500g peeled and cubed kohlrabi or other mixed root vegetables
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
40g plain flour
40g butter
400ml milk
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 tbsp horseradish
50g grated mature cheddar
50g wholemeal breadcrumbs
sea salt and black pepper
some grated nutmeg


Method


Heat the oven to 180DegC/350DegF/Gas Mark 4-5.


Heat a frying pan, add the olive oil and saute carrots and kohl rabi (root vegetables) and onion for 4-5 minutes, until softening. Season with sea salt, black pepper and some grated nutmeg.


Place in an oven proof dish.


To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and mix together and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Do not brown. Remove from the heat, pour in the milk and whisk the mixture until smooth. Place back on the heat and slowly bring to the boil, whisking constantly until just boiling. Simmer for 1 minute, remove from the heat.


Add the horseradish, yoghurt, season well, pour over the vegetable mixtures.


Mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the vegetables. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes so the vegetables are cooked and the topping is golden brown.





serve with steamed green vegetables such as broccoli.

Add sausages, kidney beans or butter beans for protein.